Not a Moment Too Soon
The images blurred inside of Tara McClay's head. It was like she was trapped inside a cold, dark room with no way to escape. She knew what was going on around her, but she had no control over her actions. She couldn't stand how much she was hurting Willow. Knowing this, Tara had been trying everything she could to contact Willow. She's tried everything that she could think of. Tara saw Willow Rosenberg look over at her from across the room. Tara tried to smile and say, "hi Willow," but all that came out was, "glowing light gone dark," and then she began to whimper. Damn, she thought to herself, why can't I ever talk to her. Willow walked over and put her arm around Tara's shoulder.
"It's ok baby," Willow said, "We're gonna find a way to bring you back to me. I promise."
Tara smiled to herself. Oh sweet Willow, how could I ever doubt your love for me, she thought. Tara laid back in her bed, clutching the covers tight. Willow pulled the covers up to Tara's chin and kissed her forehead gently. "Love you Tara, always," she said softly. Willow stood up and turned to walk away.
"Love you Willow," Tara said. Tara was shocked for those were the exact words that came out of her mouth. She'd done it; she'd talked to Willow.
Willow looked baffled. "Tara, are you there? Are you back?" she asked, hope ringing in her voice. She ran to Tara's side.
Tara looked and felt like a vail had been lifted from her mind. Like everything was clear and perfect and how they should be. But then Willow saw the cloud return to Tara's eyes. "Mmmmmm," cried Tara, sobbing.
"Shh," Will said, stroking Tara's hair, "Baby, shh, it's ok, calm down. I'm here, I'll always be here."
Tara began to whine, "Time, time, time, time."
Willow shushed her. "Baby, it's time for you to sleep. You need to sleep," Willow picked up a small blue pill and held it in front of Tara. She looked at it and opened her mouth. It was habit, the same routine every night. Tara learned these things, just as a baby would. Bit by bit Tara picked up on Willow's signals and emotions. When Willow was sad, Tara was sad. Willow reached over to the dresser and grabbed the glass of water. She brought it over to Tara's mouth and poured some in. "Swallow for me," Willow said softly to her. Tara did as she was told; anything and everything for her love. "That's my girl," Willow whispered again and gently laid Tara back in her bed. Once again she pulled the covers up to Tara's chin. Tara just laid there, staring blankly at the wall. Once Willow was finished tucking Tara in, she sat down on the bed next to her. She gently stroked Tara's hair, just as she used to do.
Mmmm, nice, thought Tara. How she wished she could give Willow some reassurance that she was ok. That she was in there, loving her. Tara wanted nothing more than to see Willow happy, and she knew that her being this way caused all of the Scoobies pain. First and most obvious was Willow. She saw what her being like this has done to Willow's spirit, the joy and happiness that would surround her everyday. The same warmth that Tara fell in love with. Recently, Tara, Willow, Buffy, and Dawn had been sitting in the dorm room and Glory showed up. Tara, in her crazy state, had blurted out to Glory that Dawn was the Key. This inevitably led to the capture of Dawn. During an escape mission from Glory, Spike and Giles were injured. Because of Dawn's capture, Buffy went into shock. Luckily, Willow was able to bring her out of it. Xander and Anya have barely been able to keep everyone calm throughout these catastrophes. And Tara was to blame for everyone's unhappiness and pain. Tara looked into Willow's eyes. Dear, sweet Willow. I will return to you, I promise that.
"Ok sweetie, it's time for you to sleep. I need you to be a good girl and sleep well tonight, ok?" she asked, half hoping for a response. Instead, Tara's eyes darted from place to place in the room, finally locking on Willow's. "I know you're in there somewhere Tara. And I swear I'll bring you back." She leaned over and kissed Tara's forehead again. She then turned her head and started to walk away.
No, Willow don't leave me here, alone and in the dark. A small yelp passed through Willow's lips when Tara's hand shot out from under the covers and grabbed her arm. Willow looked down at Tara and smiled. "Alright, I'll stay with you." Tara smiled to herself.
Willow walked around to the other side of the bed and climbed in. She kept her distance from Tara, not wanting to crowd her or make her scared. Instead of allowing this, Tara pushed her back against Willow and held out her arm. She was waiting for Willow to hold her. Willow grinned, "I didn't think you'd want to snuggle." Tara waited patiently until she felt Willow take her hand.
"Hmmm," Tara mumbled. This is like old times. This is how I want it, forever. With that last thought Tara drifted off to sleep.
Willow waited until she heard Tara's quiet and rhythmic breathing and knew that she was asleep. Once she knew that, Willow relaxed and went to sleep too.
About an hour later she awoke in a cold sweat. She had remembered the fight that she and Tara had before Glory had brainsucked her. It's all my fault, thought Willow. She laid back in her bed and softly cried. As if on cue, Tara reached over and pulled Willow closer, comforting her. There, in each other's arms, they stayed all night.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Buffy Summers stared at the wall. I can't believe she's gone, she thought. First Mom and now Dawn. The time was coming closer when Glory would use Dawn to open the portals between the worlds. When that happens, Dawn will die. Hell, we'll all die. Some slayer I am, she thought, I can't even save myself, let alone save others. How did I let this happen, she thought. Everything was perfect, and then I find out that Dawn is the Key. Ok, I can deal, but then Mom and Tara. Then Giles and, god even Spike. Finally Dawnie, her sweet, innocent sister. She'll never see her laugh or smile again. How am I ever gonna win this, save them, my sister, she thought. "I'm all alone in this," she said aloud. She put her head in her hands and sobbed.
Her head jerked up when she heard a knock on her front door. She cautiously went to answer it.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Angel, Cordelia Chase, Wesley Wyndham Price, and Charles Gunn stood outside the Summer's house.
"Are you sure about what you saw?" Angel asked Cordy.
She nodded her head, "Yeah, although I wish I wasn't." In her vision, Cordy had seen Buffy and the Scooby Gang fighting some very powerful blonde girl, and the Scoobies were losing, badly.
Angel paced on the doorstep. "Why isn't she answering?" he asked. When he got no response he pounded on the door again.
"Angel, easy! It is night. Maybe she's not home, or sleeping, or..." said Wesley, only to be interrupted again by Angel.
"Or dead," he said, reaching for the door again. This time it opened to reveal a teary-eyed and red-faced Buffy.
"Angel," she asked, "What are you doing here?"
"Buffy, we need to talk," Wesley said.
"Fine, come in," she said moving aside and letting the 4 walk into the house. She motioned for them to sit down in the living room. They did.
"What is this all about," Buffy asked, wiping a stray tear away from her eye.
"Cordy had a vision," Gunn started.
"Of what?" asked Buffy.
"Well, I think you need to get the rest of the gang here for this," Cordy stated, and looked to Gunn, Wesley, and Angel for reassurance.
Angel nodded. "Yeah, this concerns all of you."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Anya and Xander Harris sat alone in his room. Both, warn out from the recent events, were too speechless to have their usual comic relief. Even Anya didn't want to have sex now.
"I can't believe all of this is happening. I mean, we've had Apocalypses before, but this might just be the APOCOLYPSE! " Xander said, shaking his head.
Anya looked up. "I'm used to running from disasters. I don't know if I'm strong enough to go through this Xander. I mean, what if we all end up like Joyce, a body. Just a body, nothing left , nothing else," she said, looking into Xanders eyes. "What if we all die?"
Xander went over to her and put his arms around her waist. He pulled her closer, "Don't worry. I know that we'll make it through this. I know we will," he said, only half believing that.
Why can't the world be like it used to, Anya thought. When I was the only one that caused my pain. But then I met Xander, and I fell in love. I didn't even know what love was before, even when I was human. She held Xander closer and inhaled deeply. "I'm so scared," she said. When she felt Xanders hands rubbing her back, she lost it and started to bawl.
"Shh," he said, "We'll make it. We have to believe that we will. Buffy will think of a way to beat Glory and then we'll all celebrate, just like we always do. Come on Anya, good never loses. In all of the comics that I read, good prevails over evil. We will too. Glory won't know what hit her." They sat there, cuddling in each others arms. Then they laid down in the bed and fell asleep, trying to forget about the worries of Glory and Dawn. Their pleasant dreams were interrupted by a phone call. Xander's eyes jolted open. Phone calls in the middle of the night usually mean big trouble. Xander shuddered as he reached for the phone. "Hello," he said tentatively.
"Xander? This is Buffy. Look, Angel, Cordy, Wesley, and Gunn are here from LA They said that they have something really important to tell us. I'm calling the rest of the gang. Can you and Anya come and pick up Spike on the way?" she asked, out of breath.
Xander looked over at Anya, who was sleeping with her head tucked under the pillow. He pushed her gently with his hand. She jumped, and then looked over at him. "What?" she asked sleepily.
"Yeah, sure Buff. Consider us there." He hung up the phone and looked over at Anya. "Angel's here. Maybe they've found a way to help us. We're gonna meet them and the rest of the gang over at Buffy's. Come on, get dressed."
Anya immediately grabbed her fleece shirt and put it over her pajama top. Xander pulled a sweatshirt over him wife beater and slipped him shoes on. Grabbing his keys, him and Anya left the safety of his room and headed out, only to face more danger.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Spike sat alone in is crypt, thinking about the past few days. His hands still burned from the sword slicing them and from the sunlight, when Tara accidentally opened the blinds. He poured some liquor onto them, scrunching up his face from the pain. Damn Slayer, her and her bloody pals are probably off laughing at old big bad here, he thought. "They don't notice when big bad helps them out, no they don't," he said aloud. "Well, Nibblet noticed. She cared when everyone else was looking to stake Spike." He remembered when Buffy asked if anyone was hurt, Dawn said that Spike was. He smiled to himself. "That girl has always been there looking out for me, even when no one else was." Wonder if Buffy really is out there looking for me. He thought for a moment. "Nah, Slayer's probably too worried about LiL Sis to give a bother about old Spike. Yeah, let's let him rot away in his soddin' crypt." He sat there by himself, wondering if Buffy would ever notice him. Ever love him the way that she loved Angel. Soul or no soul, Spike was good now. Can you believe it? Him, William the freaking Bloody caring about a human, let alone the Slayer. "Hmm, if Dru could see me now."
*Crash!* The door to his crypt suddenly burst open. Spike dropped the liquor bottle and stumbled forward. "What the bloody hell!" he yelled at the person entering.
"Spike, good to see you too," said the voice.
Spike squinted, looking into the darkness. "Xander?" he asked. "What brings you to my lovely and humble home."
"Yeah, as much as I'd like to sit and chat with you about the good 'ole days of bloodsucking, we have an emergency. So, come on, we gotta go to Buffy's."
Spike peered past Xander and saw Anya standing there, huddled against the door. He raised his eyebrows. "Is Buffy alright?"
"Look, I'm just supposed to bring you there. She's gonna explain everything there. Now get your deader than dead ass out here, come one," he said, nodding his head toward the door.
"Yeah, alright. But this had better be good or.." he started.
"Or what, you'll glare us to death? Oohh, my knees tremble at the thought," Xander quipped.
"Guys, it's very cold out and not very pleasurable standing out here, unlike capitalism which is very pleasurable. Can we go to Buffy's where it's warm and there's food?" Anya asked impatiently.
The guys gave each other the 'I'm better than you' look and they nodded. Following Xander and Anya out the door Spike grabbed his leather jacket. Better off dressing sharp than dressing like Xander the dancing clown. He glanced at Xander in his blue sweatshirt and checkered boxers. Grinning he shut the door and headed down the street towards Buffy.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Willow woke up at the sound of footsteps in her room. She looked over and saw that Tara was gone. "Tara," she said, alarmed.
"Big day soon, c-coming, big day coming soon. Time, t-t-time is coming," Tara mumbled from across the room.
Willow got up and walked over to her, "Tara?" she asked quietly. She saw Tara pacing, trying to get the bandages off of her hand. Willow cautiously took a step closer and could see that Tara wasn't coherent at all. Her eyes were wide open and aimed directly at Willow.
"B-Big day! Time coming! Places to be!" Tara yelled a little louder. She stopped pacing and looked directly at Willow. She took the cast off of her hand and threw it at Willow, hitting her in the face. A tiny drop of blood started from her nose and soon grew. Willow gasped and said softly, "Tara?"
Tara's face suddenly became clear again, just as it had earlier that night. "W-W-Willow, oh god! I'm s-s-so sorry." Tara walked over and put her hand on Willow's face, trying to calm her down. "How could I, I mean, oh god." Tara bent over and started to cry, that cry soon turned into a whimper and Willow knew that she was *gone* again. Willow helped Tara to her feet and they linked arms.
"Shh, baby. I'm ok, it's alright," she said. Willow looked Tara straight in the eyes. "I'm gonna bring you back. I know I will." She gave Tara another pill to calm her down.
Just as Willow was about to put Tara back to bed when the phone rang. Willow picked it up. "Hello?" she asked.
"Willow? It's Buffy. Look, somethin's come up and I'm gonna need for you and Tara to come over here as soon as you can," Buffy said, hoping that she didn't scare Willow.
Buffy did scare Willow though. "Buffy, what's the matter? What's wrong? Is it Dawn?"
"No Willow. Look, Angel and some of his agency came to find me tonight. Cordy had a vision yesterday about us and Glory. We need all of the gang here to hear this. Can you come or not?" she asked, then automatically regretted how harsh she sounded. Willow has never hurt anyone and Buffy had practically yelled at her.
"Yeah Buffy. We'll be there. Give us...." she looked at the clock, "Five minutes or so."
"Right," Buffy said and hung up the phone.
Willow did the same. She led Tara to the door and they left for Buffy's. The entire way there Tara kept looking towards the big clock tower on campus. Willow tried to keep Tara's attention on the task at hand. When they reached Buffy's front porch Willow took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
The images blurred inside of Tara McClay's head. It was like she was trapped inside a cold, dark room with no way to escape. She knew what was going on around her, but she had no control over her actions. She couldn't stand how much she was hurting Willow. Knowing this, Tara had been trying everything she could to contact Willow. She's tried everything that she could think of. Tara saw Willow Rosenberg look over at her from across the room. Tara tried to smile and say, "hi Willow," but all that came out was, "glowing light gone dark," and then she began to whimper. Damn, she thought to herself, why can't I ever talk to her. Willow walked over and put her arm around Tara's shoulder.
"It's ok baby," Willow said, "We're gonna find a way to bring you back to me. I promise."
Tara smiled to herself. Oh sweet Willow, how could I ever doubt your love for me, she thought. Tara laid back in her bed, clutching the covers tight. Willow pulled the covers up to Tara's chin and kissed her forehead gently. "Love you Tara, always," she said softly. Willow stood up and turned to walk away.
"Love you Willow," Tara said. Tara was shocked for those were the exact words that came out of her mouth. She'd done it; she'd talked to Willow.
Willow looked baffled. "Tara, are you there? Are you back?" she asked, hope ringing in her voice. She ran to Tara's side.
Tara looked and felt like a vail had been lifted from her mind. Like everything was clear and perfect and how they should be. But then Willow saw the cloud return to Tara's eyes. "Mmmmmm," cried Tara, sobbing.
"Shh," Will said, stroking Tara's hair, "Baby, shh, it's ok, calm down. I'm here, I'll always be here."
Tara began to whine, "Time, time, time, time."
Willow shushed her. "Baby, it's time for you to sleep. You need to sleep," Willow picked up a small blue pill and held it in front of Tara. She looked at it and opened her mouth. It was habit, the same routine every night. Tara learned these things, just as a baby would. Bit by bit Tara picked up on Willow's signals and emotions. When Willow was sad, Tara was sad. Willow reached over to the dresser and grabbed the glass of water. She brought it over to Tara's mouth and poured some in. "Swallow for me," Willow said softly to her. Tara did as she was told; anything and everything for her love. "That's my girl," Willow whispered again and gently laid Tara back in her bed. Once again she pulled the covers up to Tara's chin. Tara just laid there, staring blankly at the wall. Once Willow was finished tucking Tara in, she sat down on the bed next to her. She gently stroked Tara's hair, just as she used to do.
Mmmm, nice, thought Tara. How she wished she could give Willow some reassurance that she was ok. That she was in there, loving her. Tara wanted nothing more than to see Willow happy, and she knew that her being this way caused all of the Scoobies pain. First and most obvious was Willow. She saw what her being like this has done to Willow's spirit, the joy and happiness that would surround her everyday. The same warmth that Tara fell in love with. Recently, Tara, Willow, Buffy, and Dawn had been sitting in the dorm room and Glory showed up. Tara, in her crazy state, had blurted out to Glory that Dawn was the Key. This inevitably led to the capture of Dawn. During an escape mission from Glory, Spike and Giles were injured. Because of Dawn's capture, Buffy went into shock. Luckily, Willow was able to bring her out of it. Xander and Anya have barely been able to keep everyone calm throughout these catastrophes. And Tara was to blame for everyone's unhappiness and pain. Tara looked into Willow's eyes. Dear, sweet Willow. I will return to you, I promise that.
"Ok sweetie, it's time for you to sleep. I need you to be a good girl and sleep well tonight, ok?" she asked, half hoping for a response. Instead, Tara's eyes darted from place to place in the room, finally locking on Willow's. "I know you're in there somewhere Tara. And I swear I'll bring you back." She leaned over and kissed Tara's forehead again. She then turned her head and started to walk away.
No, Willow don't leave me here, alone and in the dark. A small yelp passed through Willow's lips when Tara's hand shot out from under the covers and grabbed her arm. Willow looked down at Tara and smiled. "Alright, I'll stay with you." Tara smiled to herself.
Willow walked around to the other side of the bed and climbed in. She kept her distance from Tara, not wanting to crowd her or make her scared. Instead of allowing this, Tara pushed her back against Willow and held out her arm. She was waiting for Willow to hold her. Willow grinned, "I didn't think you'd want to snuggle." Tara waited patiently until she felt Willow take her hand.
"Hmmm," Tara mumbled. This is like old times. This is how I want it, forever. With that last thought Tara drifted off to sleep.
Willow waited until she heard Tara's quiet and rhythmic breathing and knew that she was asleep. Once she knew that, Willow relaxed and went to sleep too.
About an hour later she awoke in a cold sweat. She had remembered the fight that she and Tara had before Glory had brainsucked her. It's all my fault, thought Willow. She laid back in her bed and softly cried. As if on cue, Tara reached over and pulled Willow closer, comforting her. There, in each other's arms, they stayed all night.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Buffy Summers stared at the wall. I can't believe she's gone, she thought. First Mom and now Dawn. The time was coming closer when Glory would use Dawn to open the portals between the worlds. When that happens, Dawn will die. Hell, we'll all die. Some slayer I am, she thought, I can't even save myself, let alone save others. How did I let this happen, she thought. Everything was perfect, and then I find out that Dawn is the Key. Ok, I can deal, but then Mom and Tara. Then Giles and, god even Spike. Finally Dawnie, her sweet, innocent sister. She'll never see her laugh or smile again. How am I ever gonna win this, save them, my sister, she thought. "I'm all alone in this," she said aloud. She put her head in her hands and sobbed.
Her head jerked up when she heard a knock on her front door. She cautiously went to answer it.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Angel, Cordelia Chase, Wesley Wyndham Price, and Charles Gunn stood outside the Summer's house.
"Are you sure about what you saw?" Angel asked Cordy.
She nodded her head, "Yeah, although I wish I wasn't." In her vision, Cordy had seen Buffy and the Scooby Gang fighting some very powerful blonde girl, and the Scoobies were losing, badly.
Angel paced on the doorstep. "Why isn't she answering?" he asked. When he got no response he pounded on the door again.
"Angel, easy! It is night. Maybe she's not home, or sleeping, or..." said Wesley, only to be interrupted again by Angel.
"Or dead," he said, reaching for the door again. This time it opened to reveal a teary-eyed and red-faced Buffy.
"Angel," she asked, "What are you doing here?"
"Buffy, we need to talk," Wesley said.
"Fine, come in," she said moving aside and letting the 4 walk into the house. She motioned for them to sit down in the living room. They did.
"What is this all about," Buffy asked, wiping a stray tear away from her eye.
"Cordy had a vision," Gunn started.
"Of what?" asked Buffy.
"Well, I think you need to get the rest of the gang here for this," Cordy stated, and looked to Gunn, Wesley, and Angel for reassurance.
Angel nodded. "Yeah, this concerns all of you."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Anya and Xander Harris sat alone in his room. Both, warn out from the recent events, were too speechless to have their usual comic relief. Even Anya didn't want to have sex now.
"I can't believe all of this is happening. I mean, we've had Apocalypses before, but this might just be the APOCOLYPSE! " Xander said, shaking his head.
Anya looked up. "I'm used to running from disasters. I don't know if I'm strong enough to go through this Xander. I mean, what if we all end up like Joyce, a body. Just a body, nothing left , nothing else," she said, looking into Xanders eyes. "What if we all die?"
Xander went over to her and put his arms around her waist. He pulled her closer, "Don't worry. I know that we'll make it through this. I know we will," he said, only half believing that.
Why can't the world be like it used to, Anya thought. When I was the only one that caused my pain. But then I met Xander, and I fell in love. I didn't even know what love was before, even when I was human. She held Xander closer and inhaled deeply. "I'm so scared," she said. When she felt Xanders hands rubbing her back, she lost it and started to bawl.
"Shh," he said, "We'll make it. We have to believe that we will. Buffy will think of a way to beat Glory and then we'll all celebrate, just like we always do. Come on Anya, good never loses. In all of the comics that I read, good prevails over evil. We will too. Glory won't know what hit her." They sat there, cuddling in each others arms. Then they laid down in the bed and fell asleep, trying to forget about the worries of Glory and Dawn. Their pleasant dreams were interrupted by a phone call. Xander's eyes jolted open. Phone calls in the middle of the night usually mean big trouble. Xander shuddered as he reached for the phone. "Hello," he said tentatively.
"Xander? This is Buffy. Look, Angel, Cordy, Wesley, and Gunn are here from LA They said that they have something really important to tell us. I'm calling the rest of the gang. Can you and Anya come and pick up Spike on the way?" she asked, out of breath.
Xander looked over at Anya, who was sleeping with her head tucked under the pillow. He pushed her gently with his hand. She jumped, and then looked over at him. "What?" she asked sleepily.
"Yeah, sure Buff. Consider us there." He hung up the phone and looked over at Anya. "Angel's here. Maybe they've found a way to help us. We're gonna meet them and the rest of the gang over at Buffy's. Come on, get dressed."
Anya immediately grabbed her fleece shirt and put it over her pajama top. Xander pulled a sweatshirt over him wife beater and slipped him shoes on. Grabbing his keys, him and Anya left the safety of his room and headed out, only to face more danger.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Spike sat alone in is crypt, thinking about the past few days. His hands still burned from the sword slicing them and from the sunlight, when Tara accidentally opened the blinds. He poured some liquor onto them, scrunching up his face from the pain. Damn Slayer, her and her bloody pals are probably off laughing at old big bad here, he thought. "They don't notice when big bad helps them out, no they don't," he said aloud. "Well, Nibblet noticed. She cared when everyone else was looking to stake Spike." He remembered when Buffy asked if anyone was hurt, Dawn said that Spike was. He smiled to himself. "That girl has always been there looking out for me, even when no one else was." Wonder if Buffy really is out there looking for me. He thought for a moment. "Nah, Slayer's probably too worried about LiL Sis to give a bother about old Spike. Yeah, let's let him rot away in his soddin' crypt." He sat there by himself, wondering if Buffy would ever notice him. Ever love him the way that she loved Angel. Soul or no soul, Spike was good now. Can you believe it? Him, William the freaking Bloody caring about a human, let alone the Slayer. "Hmm, if Dru could see me now."
*Crash!* The door to his crypt suddenly burst open. Spike dropped the liquor bottle and stumbled forward. "What the bloody hell!" he yelled at the person entering.
"Spike, good to see you too," said the voice.
Spike squinted, looking into the darkness. "Xander?" he asked. "What brings you to my lovely and humble home."
"Yeah, as much as I'd like to sit and chat with you about the good 'ole days of bloodsucking, we have an emergency. So, come on, we gotta go to Buffy's."
Spike peered past Xander and saw Anya standing there, huddled against the door. He raised his eyebrows. "Is Buffy alright?"
"Look, I'm just supposed to bring you there. She's gonna explain everything there. Now get your deader than dead ass out here, come one," he said, nodding his head toward the door.
"Yeah, alright. But this had better be good or.." he started.
"Or what, you'll glare us to death? Oohh, my knees tremble at the thought," Xander quipped.
"Guys, it's very cold out and not very pleasurable standing out here, unlike capitalism which is very pleasurable. Can we go to Buffy's where it's warm and there's food?" Anya asked impatiently.
The guys gave each other the 'I'm better than you' look and they nodded. Following Xander and Anya out the door Spike grabbed his leather jacket. Better off dressing sharp than dressing like Xander the dancing clown. He glanced at Xander in his blue sweatshirt and checkered boxers. Grinning he shut the door and headed down the street towards Buffy.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Willow woke up at the sound of footsteps in her room. She looked over and saw that Tara was gone. "Tara," she said, alarmed.
"Big day soon, c-coming, big day coming soon. Time, t-t-time is coming," Tara mumbled from across the room.
Willow got up and walked over to her, "Tara?" she asked quietly. She saw Tara pacing, trying to get the bandages off of her hand. Willow cautiously took a step closer and could see that Tara wasn't coherent at all. Her eyes were wide open and aimed directly at Willow.
"B-Big day! Time coming! Places to be!" Tara yelled a little louder. She stopped pacing and looked directly at Willow. She took the cast off of her hand and threw it at Willow, hitting her in the face. A tiny drop of blood started from her nose and soon grew. Willow gasped and said softly, "Tara?"
Tara's face suddenly became clear again, just as it had earlier that night. "W-W-Willow, oh god! I'm s-s-so sorry." Tara walked over and put her hand on Willow's face, trying to calm her down. "How could I, I mean, oh god." Tara bent over and started to cry, that cry soon turned into a whimper and Willow knew that she was *gone* again. Willow helped Tara to her feet and they linked arms.
"Shh, baby. I'm ok, it's alright," she said. Willow looked Tara straight in the eyes. "I'm gonna bring you back. I know I will." She gave Tara another pill to calm her down.
Just as Willow was about to put Tara back to bed when the phone rang. Willow picked it up. "Hello?" she asked.
"Willow? It's Buffy. Look, somethin's come up and I'm gonna need for you and Tara to come over here as soon as you can," Buffy said, hoping that she didn't scare Willow.
Buffy did scare Willow though. "Buffy, what's the matter? What's wrong? Is it Dawn?"
"No Willow. Look, Angel and some of his agency came to find me tonight. Cordy had a vision yesterday about us and Glory. We need all of the gang here to hear this. Can you come or not?" she asked, then automatically regretted how harsh she sounded. Willow has never hurt anyone and Buffy had practically yelled at her.
"Yeah Buffy. We'll be there. Give us...." she looked at the clock, "Five minutes or so."
"Right," Buffy said and hung up the phone.
Willow did the same. She led Tara to the door and they left for Buffy's. The entire way there Tara kept looking towards the big clock tower on campus. Willow tried to keep Tara's attention on the task at hand. When they reached Buffy's front porch Willow took a deep breath and knocked on the door.